"Following the four gospels [...] comes a book which is for the most part a straightforward history and is particularly valuable for that reason. It deals with the slow growth of Christianity during the generation that followed the crucifixion of Jesus – from its beginnings in Jerusalem until its slowly widening influence finally reached Rome itself. In so doing, it indicates the steady shift of Christianity away from its national Jewish foundation to the status of a universal Gentile religion, and the hero of that shift is the apostle Paul."